Inventing the Jetpack

Most people, at some point in their childhood, dream of being able to fly. The freedom, the thrill and the overall joy that comes from finding yourself hovering and moving several meters off the ground makes flying an idea that man has played with for hundreds of years. After so long, the dream has finally become a reality with the invention of the jetpack. Glenn Martin, the man behind inventing the jetpack, has come up with a jetpack that allows the average person to realize the dream of flight. Weighing in at 243 kilograms (536 lbs) and made primarily from carbon composites, the Martin Jetpack can successfully hold anyone weighing between 64kg and 127 kg (or 140lbs and 280lbs) making flight possible for just about anyone. This jetpack invention reaches speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour), a height of 2,400 meters (roughly 7,800 feet) and can go as far as 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) before needing to be refueled. According to Martin, the idea to invent the jetpack presented itself to him in college when, in a conversation with friends, the subject of jetpacks was brought up in the question "Why aren't we all flying around in jetpacks?" Though the older version of jetpacks, known as rocket belts, had been around for a while, they were cumbersome and not at all practical since they were only able to stay in the air about 30 seconds and could only hold 70 kgs (about 50 lbs). Soon after this discussion with friends, in his spare time while attending college, Martin set to work figuring out an improved mathematical formula and a new, modern design that could fly for roughly 30 minutes and hold an average sized person. Thus, the first steps were taken toward realizing a new jetpack invention. At this point, you have to be wondering how it works. There are two large fans, one on either side, that create lift and help stabilize the jetpack. The air comes out of the fans at about 300km (186 miles) per hour. The two liter four cylinder engine, located in the back, has 200 horsepower and consumes 40 liters of gasoline (about 10 and a half gallons) per hour. All of the controls for the jetpack are located in the front. Looking like two joysticks for a video game, the pilot uses the stick at their left hand for steering and the one at their right hand controls the throttle. There is also a flight display screen located in the front next to the steering stick to tell the pilot everything they may need to know about where they are going as well as helping them keep an eye on the engine and aircraft. There is even a small ballistic parachute that can open at small altitudes for the safety of the pilot. The aerospace industry has had the major goal of developing a usable jetpack for over fifty years. While it may take a little while for the popularity of the Martin Jetpack to become wide spread, there is no doubt that Martin Aircraft Company has accomplished the goal at which hundreds of others have failed. For more information about the Martin Jetpack, visit MartinJetPack.com.

Now that you've seen the Martin Jet Pack you haven't seen them all! Here is a video of a jetpack fail on Fox 5 News in San Diego. This jetpack is fueled by water pressure and the man demonstrating it doesn't start off to well. However, once he gets everyone to laugh at his demise, he finally kicks this water fueled jetpack into high gear and looks pretty amazing careening around the San Diego Bay.